The Gift
by Glass Sugar
Summary: When club owner John Shepard helps a strange amnesiac alien escape capture from the Council the former marine is soon thrown into a race against time to help Thane prevent the return of an ancient evil.  FShep/Garrus, MShep/Thane
1. Not Like The Movies

**Summary-**Former marine John Shepard is pulled back into his military life when a handsome alien literally crashes into his life. Desperate to find an ancient device left behind by the Protheans the alien named Thane convinces Shepard to help him find the device before an unstoppable evil returns to the galaxy. Meanwhile Alice Shepard and her partner Garrus become caught up in an attack on Eden Prime led by a rogue Spectre searching for a Prothean device.

**Notes-**Heavily inspired by one of my all time favourite movies The Fifth Element and written as a gift for my little sister I hope you all enjoy. Be warned this story shall have slash and het so if that isn't your cup of tea then leave. The back button is there for a reason. Also because there are two Shepard's here the male will be referred to as Shepard and the female by the name I gave her when I played the games.

**Pairings-**Garrus/FShep, MShep/Thane

* * *

**The Gift**

**Chapter One**

**Not Like The Movies **

_**Noveria**_

_**Science Labs**_

All her life Liara had wanted to better understand the ancient civilization that came before hers. She had always been immensely fascinated by the Protheans since childhood and she worked to become the best living expert on the Prothean species. She could read their language and made breakthroughs in the field of archaeology in her studies. Since coming to Noveria she had finally found what she had been searching for all her career.

Recently her team had unearthed a vast intact temple beneath a glacier containing artefacts from the Protheans. The temple was at least 50,000 years old and covered in Prothean runes. The temple itself was an immense find for the scientific community. Already the military from the Council races wanted anything from the ruins that turned out to be a weapon. So far Liara found nothing like that but she did find something in the heart of the ruins.

A single stone edifice had been left within a vault in the temple along with two Protheans pods. The stone was shaped like the old Earth Cleopatra's needle Liara had seen when she visited the planet some years ago. The pods were sealed and nothing she did short of using an explosive could open them.

Despite this she took the pods back to the lab along with the stone. According to the runes along the walls the stone was a container of knowledge left behind by the Protheans. There was also a warning carved into the temple walls but the rocks were too badly corroded for Liara to make a full translation. The stone was taken back to the hot labs while the pods were sent to a different lab so they could be preserved. The mere fact that there could be Protheans within the pods filled Liara with excitement and wonder.

Since that day she had worked relentlessly on unlocking the secrets of the stone and getting around the system keeping the pods locked up. Her days were going incredibly well until today when the alarm began to sound throughout the facility.

"What the hell happened down there?"

Dr Liara T'Soni stormed into the main lab when the red alert began to tear across the facility. Nothing happened in this place without her authorization so when the red alert went off she was more than a little pissed about the situation. The alert only sounded when something happened in the hot labs but there was only one important piece down there. An ancient Prothean artefact that had been found on the icy planet had immediately been sent to the labs for study while Liara worked on translating the runes carved into the stone.

"We don't know!" a nearby salarian replied quickly. "We can't get any video feed from the labs either."

"Dammit." Liara went towards the nearest life. "I'll check this out myself. Send a security team to meet me at the lab entrance."

The asari scientist pushed the button and stepped into the lift. She refused to let anything happen to that stone and the knowledge contained within it. Finally the lift reached the hot labs and Liara made her way to the control room. Whatever happened in the lab it didn't seal off the base entirely. It had been contained whatever it was. The security team joined Liara at the entrance and she motioned for them to follow her to the door. Her code could open any door in the base thanks to her position here as head scientist.

"What are out orders ma'am?" her chief of security asked.

"Wait until we know what happened in there." Liara ordered. She couldn't afford to have them start shooting in case they hit the stone.

"Dr T'Soni, we have the feed back! You better watch the nearest monitor now!" the salarian's voice came on over the intercom.

"Understood." She approached the monitor on the desk near the locked door. She could only stare openly at what she was seeing on the screen. "What in the name of the Goddess..."

There standing before the ancient stone were two aliens she had never seen before in her life. One was looking around frantically while the other held out his hands to the stone as a blue light shone directly into his face. The aliens had green skin with different black patterns adorning their exposed flesh. They were both naked despite the cold within the labs and Liara could only stare at them. The blue light began to intensify and it was then she noticed the large hole in the far wall of the labs.

"Don't kill them." She ordered the team behind her. "I want them alive. And don't damage the stone if you wish to see another day."

"Understood ma'am." The turian nodded.

Liara unlocked the door for the team then walked in ahead of them. Her biotics would give them a great benefit in case the aliens decided to fight back. Hopefully she could knock them out before things got too out of hand. Once she entered the main access point of the lab Liara took a breath and opened the door leading into the chamber with the stone.

"Step away from the artefact." Her voice was raised and it caught the alien's attention. Two sets of inky black eyes stared back at her.

Now that she was able to get a better look at them she really didn't recognize the species. Was it possible they came from the pods in the adjoining chamber? Like the turians they looked alike as a race but the one of the right looked more concerned than his partner. The one who was staring into the blue light cocked his head then grabbed his partner's hand. Before Liara could react a shockwave slammed into her and she went flying back along with her team. The aliens were making their way back through the hole in the far wall but Liara gathered up her strength and allowed her biotic power to increase.

"Stop!" she called as she sent a biotic wave towards them, lifting medical instruments in its wake allowing them to become instant projectiles.

The aliens were both caught in the biotic attack and they flew back against the broken wall. Liara breathed harshly as her powers died down but she wouldn't take her eyes off the aliens even now they were out cold.

"What the hell are they?" the turian gasped when he was back on his feet.

"I have no idea." Liara whispered as she stepped towards them, her eyes taking in their features. "The Council needs to be informed about them."

The security team took the two aliens and took them to a holding cell. Liara made a mental note to inject them with a sleeping drug to keep them under until the Council heard about this. She had no idea if drugs would work on them but she had no other option. Taking a deep breath she stared up at the stone as if willing it to provide her with answers to what just happened.

"What in the name of the Goddess just happened?"

* * *

_**The Citadel **_

_**Nova Vox **_

It was another packed night at the club.

Bodies writhed on the dance floor while men and women from various species ordered drinks at the bar or just talked the night away. A turian mixed drinks for a salarian couple while the human behind the bar fixed up something for a group of asari. The music was an excellent beat that everyone could dance to and Alice Shepard whistled at her brother when a turian made a blatant grope for his ass. John Shepard's bar was fast becoming the most talked about hot spot for the species on the Council and it was also a favourite hangout for Alliance marines.

Shepard still had a lot of friends within the marines and most of them still saw him as their commander. Alice was a mechanic and spent her life fixing up the ships or helping out at C-Sec when she was requested. That was where she met her best friend and current boyfriend. Shepard had been stunned mute when his little sister announced that she was dating a turian.

But after meeting Garrus Vakarian the elder Shepard had to admit that he liked the guy and that he made Alice happier than he had seen. She needed some happiness especially after that bastard Kaidan Alenko left her after three years of marriage. Despite the fact Alice was now in a good relationship with someone who appreciated her this also made Shepard's life a living hell. His sister was hell bent on finding him a boyfriend. Now John Shepard was a man with an open mind and his bar more than emphasised that point.

He practically saw Garrus as a brother so he had no problem with aliens. This gave Alice a vast amount of options she could work with. Her brother had been through his own slew of bad romances and he never seemed to find someone who could compliment him.

Shepard's last boyfriend was a total asshole. Her brother was an excellent soldier and a skilled diplomat when the time was called upon but when it came to other guys he was utterly hopeless. Honestly it was kind of painful to watch. Alice smiled brightly when Garrus sat next to her. He was finally off the clock and ready to unwind. Handing him his drink Alice turned back to observe her older brother as he swatted away the wandering hands intent on coping a feel. The ex-marine quickly handed out the drinks then moved towards his sister with a relieved look upon his scarred face.

"I hate Saturday nights." Shepard scowled as he tossed down his towel. "Next time I'm gonna break that bastard's arm."

"Come on John, think of it as a good thing." Alice sipped her drink. "At least guys are taking an interest in you."

"Shut up." Shepard grumbled. Garrus smirked but wisely chose to keep his mouth shut.

"I got a job offer on Eden Prime." Alice announced. She had been waiting for this opportunity for months ever since the Alliance told her about a project to expand the colony. "I'm finally leaving in two months."

"I'm glad for you sis." Shepard smiled at her while Garrus nodded in agreement.

"Just send me a holovid every week." The turian grunted causing Alice to grin wickedly.

"I doubt there's any turians as hot as you out there." She laughed when the tell tale blush spread across his features. He was a skilled and efficient cop but whenever Alice complimented him he always blushed.

"You guys want another?" Shepard offered.

"Sure." Garrus took the bottle. "So what about you? I heard Anderson wants you back in the field."

"Not gonna happen." Shepard replied with a sniff.

Alice said nothing but she could understand why her brother didn't want to return to active duty. He had been the only survivor of a Thresher Maw attack. The scars on his back and right arm were the proof of that horrific moment in his life. The mental scars however went deeper and even now hurt him. He had watched his entire squad die before his eyes. John was a tough guy, he always had been but that mission almost destroyed him. All his friends and trusted companions had died horrifically and he couldn't do a thing to save them. If the rumour was true that Anderson wanted her brother back on duty then she had to wonder if the captain had a good reason.

"Can't say I blame you."" Garrus downed his drink then stood up. "I better head home. Pallin's been running me into the ground for weeks."

"Asshole..." Alice hissed. She had met Pallin a few times and the guy was a stuck up prick in her opinion. "Come on, I'll go home too."

"Have fun." Shepard grinned when his sister winked and Garrus flushed again.

Shepard watched as they left then he returned to helping serve drinks to the onslaught of customers. He had opened the club a few months ago and it proved to be a good idea. The Nova Vox catered to all species and sexual orientations. People could come here and not be judged or frowned upon. And nobody dared start a fight in Shepard's club if they wanted to see the next day. He was still a trained soldier and could easily combat anybody who gave his customers grief. Speaking of grief Shepard rolled his eyes when he spotted a group of marines entering the club. They weren't a bad group, in fact Shepard was friends with a few of them. With the exception of Conrad Verner, Shepard's personal stalker. The man just wouldn't take no for answer.

"Hey John." Conrad slapped his hands on the counter.

"Don't call me that." Shepard snapped as he grabbed some glasses. "Same as usual guys?"

"Come on Conrad, leave him alone." A woman grabbed Conrad's arm. "Sorry Shepard."

"Hey!" the blond man tried to wriggle out of her steel grip. "But I wanna talk to him!"

"Take a hint you moron." She hissed as she dragged him away from the counter.

"Thank the gods for small mercies." The turian sighed with relief. "If I have to listen to his love poems again I won't be held responsible for what happens."

"Not before I kick his ass." Shepard shook his head as he cleaned the bar top before taking more orders.

"At least you're not desperate enough to screw him." The turian remarked. "You got someone in mind?"

"What is it about my love life all of you find interesting?" Shepard cocked an eyebrow. "And the answer is no."

"You're not still waiting for the perfect guy to fall into your life are you?" the turian sniffed with amusement.

"Yeah, laugh all you want." Shepard handed over the drinks. "But maybe I'll get lucky."


	2. Circle The Drain

**Chapter Two**

**Circle The Drain**

_**Asari science vessel**_

_**Holding Cells**_

Feron awoke to a dim light.

His eyes blinked rapidly as his vision adjusted to this new place he had been taken to after that strange blue woman attacked him and Thane. Black eyes widened when he thought about his comrade and he hurriedly looked around for him. The room he was in was a simple square shape and there was a tray of what looked like food on the floor nearby.

It didn't look all that appealing as Feron wrinkled his nose at the smell. Across from him was a blue energy field and he could see out into a long corridor. Directly across from his own cell was another one and he breathed out his relief when he spotted Thane in that cell. He sat cross legged on the floor, his hands clasped together as he meditated. Feron knew that his partner had a lot of information to process after their long sleep but they needed to get out of here.

He was still weak from the long hibernation and using the wave against those aliens had taken a lot out of him. No doubt Thane would give him an earful once his strength was fully restored. Feron watched him from afar, his features a perfect stoic mask as he digested the information left behind by their masters. Thane was the only one capable of accessing that knowledge thanks to the Protheans while Feron was here because he volunteered to be.

He had known Thane all his life when the Protheans tried to fight against the Great Extinction that had descended upon them. Feron shivered when he realised why he and Thane were awake now. That threat was coming back. They had to escape from this place and find the device before the evil returned.

"We shall let them take us back." Thane murmured causing Feron to jump a little.

"Thane! Are you alright?" Feron scrambled across the floor. "Has the knowledge been assimilated?"

"I am well Feron." Thane opened his black eyes. "I know where we need to go."

"Thank the gods." Feron breathed out. He looked around the cell again. "We need to get out of here now."

"This is an alien ship." Thane stood up. "We do not know the species that has taken us. For now let us remain here."

"But the device!" Feron pointed out. "We can't just sit around."

"I know Feron." Thane sighed. "But until we know more about our situation we cannot take any chances trying to escape."

"I guess so." The younger alien relented finally.

"We'll be fine Feron, I promise." Thane smiled softly at him. "How are you feeling? It has been a long hibernation."

"I still feel weak." The younger alien admitted with a whimper. He hated looking weak in front of Thane. "But I am strong enough to fight if the time comes."

"Of that I have no doubt my friend." Thane smiled slightly. He looked around the cell again, his mind processing everything around him along with the ancient information he had taken.

"I wonder how much has changed." Feron placed his sore head between his hands. "Will we even be welcome here now?"

"Even if we are not welcome we still have a mission to complete." Thane stopped examining the room. "We shall make our move once the ship docks. We have to reach Valla soon."

"And what about the other stones?" Feron inquired. "Will they all be there too?"

"I don't know." Thane admitted.

Feron jolted a little when the door hissed open and that blue skinned woman walked in with her bodyguards. The guards reminded Feron of large lizards with their hard shell skins and claws for hands. He moved away a little into the cell he had been placed in while Thane held his ground.

The woman stared openly at Feron, her dark eyes looking over him thoroughly. He snarled a little but otherwise kept his mouth shut. She turned away from him to look at Thane who in turned simply stared back. She was talking again but Feron couldn't understand a word of it. In time their minds would be able to process the alien languages being spoke but until then he needed to wait.

Feron watched as the blue skinned woman became frustrated and started talking to her guards. They nodded then stepped aside to let her leave the prison cell. Thane closed his eyes and returned to his mediations but Feron was nervous and more than a little intrigued about the aliens guarding him. They were indeed a unique looking race and if he could understand them a little then he and Thane had a chance to get away from here.

Crawling to the front of the cell Feron sat on his legs and stared at the guard next to his cell. His inky black eyes blinked up at the creature who in turn shifted a little. Feron jumped a little when a rumbling sound escaped his stomach. He was starving but he was unsure what to eat here. The guards had heard the sound too and they began talking amongst themselves.

"Thane..." Feron whispered to him once the guards left the room for a moment. "Listen, if I can create a distraction once the ship docks can you get out of here?"

"I'm not leaving without you Feron." Thane responded instantly.

"I'm not important." The younger shook his head. "You have to get out of here Thane."

Their conversation was interrupted when the lights came on and an alarm briefly blared across the vessel. It shook greatly then stopped moving entirely. Footsteps came towards the holding cells and then the blue skinned woman was there with more of her kind. More of those hard skinned guards arrived and they pointed their guns at Feron and Thane then motioned for them to back away while they opened the cells. Before Feron could do anything a blue light hit him and he was suspended while the woman approached him with a needle in her hand. She jabbed it into his arm and his body went slack. It was all a blur after that.

Everything moved in slow motion. He was placed on something hard and was lying on his back. His head turned sluggishly to the side and he could make out other aliens staring openly at him and Thane. Feron tried to turn his head again but he was just too tired now. He didn't even have the strength to turn his head around again.

Lights flashed and the voices were nothing but a garbled mess, simply noise in his head.

Unable to keep his eyes open for another moment Feron fell into blissful darkness.

* * *

_**John Shepard's Apartment**_

An alarm went off somewhere nearby causing Shepard to slam his hand against the table next to his bed. He hated alarm clocks but they managed to drag him out from his dreams or nightmares depending on how his night had been. Sitting up in bed Shepard rubbed his eyes before yawning and stretching then he got off the bed. Alice was starting to pack her things for her new job on Eden Prime and Shepard had promised to spend a few days with her before she left.

It wouldn't be the same around here without his little sister but the upside was that she would no longer set him up on blind dates. After getting a quick shower Shepard left the apartment and headed to the Wards. He wanted to look over a few things at the club before it opened tonight. The place had been booked out for a bachelor party tonight and Shepard had offered to organize food and booze for everyone invited.

He had hosted these events before and they were quite enjoyable. Usually Shepard drank a little extra booze which usually resulted in him getting completely shit faced and ending up screwing a hot soldier on leave. If he couldn't find the perfect guy he might as well take what he could get. He went through any new messages that arrived during the night. Most of it was spam but there was another letter from Anderson. Seriously the man couldn't take the fucking hint.

Shepard refused to go back to that life. He had left for a reason and Anderson was really beginning to test his patience. Until Shepard got a straight answer from the man he refused to have anything to do with a military career again. Serving drinks wasn't the best profession for an elite soldier but Shepard enjoyed it and talking to people helped him cope. He deleted the letter and concentrated on sorting out the party for tonight.

An Alliance marine was getting married to his lover from Earth, a young man who worked as a teacher from what Shepard had heard. He wanted to make sure the shipments would arrive in time for the party and he sent Alice a message letting her know he'd meet up with her in an hour.

While passing through the market area on the Presidium Shepard noticed that a crowd had gathered outside the Council Tower. He couldn't tell what it was about but the aliens were arguing while the doors into the tower remained firmly locked. Shaking his head Shepard moved on and used the Transit Terminal for a cab to the Wards. He lived at a decent place in the Presidium thanks to the money he saved up during his military career. But he felt more at home on the Wards.

His club was empty as it should be at this hour of the morning. Making his way to the back office Shepard activated his personal terminal and started going through the shipment records. Once everything was in place he signed off and left the office with some time to spare before meeting up with his sister. He was on his way to the door when he heard what sounded like a crash and gunfire from a nearby alleyway. His club was situated next to a single alley so it wasn't that hard to find the source of the noise.

Unable to ignore the sound of gunfire Shepard ducked behind some steel crates and watched when a wall was blown inward. Rubble rained down across the alley while smoke clouded his line of sight. Despite that Shepard could make out shapes moving fast through the smoke and then something came at him, running fast and desperate to escape the pursuers.

Shepard felt his breath catch when he got a good look at the man running towards his location. A tall green skinned man who reminded the human of a lizard was pumping his arms as he gained more speed. Bullets flew in all directions, some hitting the walls while the green alien dodged incoming attacks as he reached the crates at the other end of the alley.

He stopped and pressed his back against the wall and it was then he finally took notice of Shepard. Large black eyes stared at him while a luscious mouth opened slightly in shock. Shepard had never seen anything like this alien before in all his time as a marine. He would have remembered a species if the men were that hot.

"There's nowhere left to run!" a voice yelled from the other end of the alleyway. "Surrender now!"

"What the hell did you do to piss these guys off?" Shepard stared at the alien who only shook his head frightfully.

Shepard knew that if this guy was a fugitive then he had an obligation to hand him over to the C-Sec forces. There had to be a damn good reason as to why C-Sec were putting holes through the Wards to catch this one alien.

Before Shepard could move from the crates the alien in question balled up his fists and stepped out from his safety zone. Blue light shimmered around his body, the telltale sign of a biotic charging up their powers then he sent a wave of energy towards his pursuers. Cracks appeared in the floor and walls while the men and women were thrown against anything nearby.

"Stop!" Shepard brought up his pistol and pointed it at the alien who was now swaying on his feet. "What the hell are you?"

"You?" the alien cocked his head to the side as those black eyes stared at Shepard.

"I dunno what you are but you're in enough damn trouble." Shepard narrowed his eyes.

"..." the green skinned man tried to talk but his eyes rolled up and he collapsed.

"Shit!" moving on instinct Shepard grabbed him before he hit the ground. "Ok, you better tell me why I shouldn't take you to C-Sec."

"H-He..." the alien gasped out roughly.

"What? He? Who's he?" Shepard asked quickly.

"H-Help..." the alien grunted then went still as he passed out.

"Help? Help who?" Shepard shook the man but he refused to awaken and he didn't have a medi-gel on hand. Shit, he needed to take this guy back to C-Sec. He had attacked officers and was a powerful enough biotic. But he sounded sincerely scared. He had asked for help.

"Alice is gonna kill me." Shepard groaned as he picked the alien up and took him back to the club.

* * *

I'm alive!

so, so sorry about the delay in updating here but I was working out a story with a friend over Christmas on YGallery for his OCs and it kinda took control of my brain.

well i found this document and i've recently staretd replaying Mass Effect 2 after watching that awesome teaser for ME3. i got kickstarted into writing this story again so updates will be a lot quicker.

chapter 3 is already halfway done and will be ready hopefully tomarrow or the day after.

hope you liked the chapter :)


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